


The Toy Man

by MeganKray99



Category: Whitechapel
Genre: Broken Team, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Murder, Relationship Issues, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2017-12-21 08:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/898052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganKray99/pseuds/MeganKray99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A murderer is on the loose, and with the team falling apart, will they catch him? The killer was inspired by the show Being Human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Toy Man

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I was watching Being Human Series 4 again the other day and in one of the episodes, they have a serial killer called 'The Toy Man' - who I thought was a great concept for a murder mystery story - but they didn't do much with him. So I decided I would write a Whitechapel FanFic about him (I know, wrong show, but Whitechapel does crime solving, and Being Human doesn't). So here it is. Enjoy. :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Whitechapel or Being Human, I'm just borrowing the characters.

Emerson's eyes opened slowly, allowing the sun to break through gradually. He glanced at the clock which read _6:27am_ and cursed slighty as he remembered he had to go to work. He loves his job, but he loves sleep too, so it's a tough decision. He finally built up the strength to sit up, only to be pulled back down again. "We need to get ready for work. I thought you loved to be punctual."

 

"I do, but I love you more." Joe said with a smirk on his face.

 

"I'm flattered, but I'm not stupid. You're getting up whether you like it or not. Come on," He stood up and turned to look at Joe. _It's unfair how he looks so god damn sexy no matter what he's doing,_ he thought. As he saw no movement coming from the other man, he decided to try a different strategy.

 

"Well, I'm gonna go in the shower now."

 

Joe was out of the bed in a matter of seconds, dragging a laughing Emerson into the bathroom with him.

 

\- WC -

 

Miles walked into the incident room to find an unfamiliar face among the rest of his team. When he finally reached the group, Riley was first in line to explain.

 

"Morning, Skip. This is Timothy Hilton, out new team member. Timmy, this is DS Miles."

 

"Nice to meet you,"

 

"The pleasure is mine, Timmy,"

 

Miles liked the look of this new guy. He was smartly dressed, had good manners, and seemed determined. But there was something about him, something strange, that Miles couldn't quite put his finger on.

 

"Hey, think the boss would mind if we had a, erm... small celebration?"

 

"Trust Mansell to take any opportunity to have a drink. Why don't you ask him yourself?"

 

Miles looked as Kent and Chandler walked into the incident room. Seeing the two of them together always makes him smile, because it's nice to know that Joe is happy for once.

 

"Mornin', boss."

 

"Good morning, Miles." He noticed the young man. "Who's this?"

 

"Timmy,the new guy," Mansell commented. "So, who's for a drink?"

 

"What?-Wait, I didn't know we were getting a new DC."

 

"Well, neither did I, but, here he is."

 

He thought about it for a moment. "Erm,okay. Welcome to the team, Timmy."

 

"Thank you,"

 

-WC-

 

As everybody moved to get to their desks, Timmy examined them careful, trying to work out the team dynamic. Everyone worked well together and laughed together. Basically, they were like family.

 

Timmy smirked.

 

Well, families are my area of expertise.


	2. Natasha and Sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A murderer is on the loose, and with the team falling apart, will they catch him? - Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a quick upload, but I wrote Chapter 1 a long time ago on a different website, and I was nearly finished Chapter 2 when I uploaded it. Don't expect all chapters to be this quick.
> 
> Anyway, the story is going to be on more of a storyline now, hope you enjoy.

Chandler was sitting in his office when the call came through. Murder. He knows he should be happy about it, but they've had nothing to do for weeks now. As soon as he told the rest of the team, everyone sprung into action.

It wasn't the worst murder they had seen, but it was still pretty bad. A woman was found in her house with her throat slashed. Her perfect white sofa was stained with blood, as were her clothes. Llewellyn was already there when they arrived, examining the blood whilst the photographers were taking pictures of the body and the room.

"Afternoon, Gentlemen." She greeted when they approached. Chandler always wondered how she could look so calm at times like these. "Well, the cause of death looks quite apparent at the moment. She has deep slashes on her throat, the tissue severed almost down to the vertebrae. She most likely bled to death. That's all the information I can give you right now."

"That's fine. Thanks." They turned to walk away when Riley approached them.

"Sir... There's a child upstairs."

-WC-

Riley led them upstairs. "I found her in her bedroom, crying. She must have seen the body, then came up here, not knowing what to do." Thinking about the little girl walking downstairs and seeing her mother covered in blood made Riley feel sick. She thought about her children, but quickly shook that thought from her head. She didn't want to think about that at a time like this.

The girl was still sitting on the floor, cuddling in Kent's side as rocked her gently. She sat up a bit when they walked into the room.

"Natasha, this is Joe, and this is Ray. They're here to help." Riley watched as Chandler took a seat next to where Kent was sitting and started talking to the girl.

"Hello." He began with a comforting smile, "I'm Joe. What's your name?"

"Natasha," The girl replied through quiet sobs.

"Has anyone told you that you have a beautiful name?" Natasha giggled at that comment, making everyone else in the room smile too. "Now, we'll need to talk to you a bit more about what you saw. Are you okay with coming with us?"

The girl look hesitant, and she hugged Kent tighter, showing her fear. "I promise that, when we get there, we'll get you some nice food, a drink and then you can cuddle Emerson all you like." Chandler continued. Riley was suprised at how good Chandler was with kids. She didn't think he was the type. But, it worked. Natasha nodded in agreement and Kent took her to the car.

"Jealous of a 5 year old, are we?" Miles joked.

Chandler just looked at him with an amused expression. "Let's just go, shall we?"

-WC-

Mansell could honestly say that he was suprised that, when everyone returned to the station, Kent was carrying a child. He had plenty of jokes prepared, but when he found out why the child was there, he decided to keep them to himself.

It didn't take long to be filled in with all of the current facts. Woman dead, daughter orphaned, have to find the murderer, and so on. He and Timmy were asked to find out if the victim had any close friends or family that needed to be told, and if so, tell them. He was glad that Timmy was helping him out. He was a great guy and he got along with everyone. He seemed to act different around different people, as is he was trying to make everyone happy ad to fit in. Usually, people like that annoyed Mansell, but it didn't bother him, because... Well, it was Timmy. What's not to love?

It took a long time, but they found out that she wasn't really the type for socialising. She had no friends (well, she has one or two, but they were more people she knew than friends). Also, the only family she had was her daughter and her husband.

Wait. Husband? No one had mentioned a husband before.

"Boss!" Maybe this is the lead they needed to catch the killer. Chandler walked over. "Anything known about a husband?"

"No. We found nothing to suggest that she had any partner at all."

"Well, then. You might want to take a look at this."

-WC-

It came around the time to talk to Natasha. She was still with Kent. She hadn't seemed to have let him go since they arrived, but Kent looked okay with it. She was smiling and giggling. Between him and Kent, they would make great parents.

Chandler panicked then. _Where did that thought come from?_ He decided to ignore it. What mattered is talking to Natasha and finding out what happened.

"Hello Natasha. What are you talking about?"

She giggled again. "Em says you snore."

"No I don't."

"Okay, Joe."

Chandler tried to look angry, but he couldn't with Natasha looking so cute. Imagine waking up to her cute little face, smiling away, hearing her laugh. Imagine having a daughter so adorable- _Stop it, Joe._

"Natasha, can we talk to you for a minute." She looked at him for a couple of seconds, then nodded. "Great. Now, do you understand what's happened to your mammy?" She shook her head. "Do you understand what's going happen?" She shook her head again.

Kent look at Chandler and gave him a reassuring smile, giving him the courage to explain. "Well... Your mother's been hurt. Very badly. And we can't make it better." He took a deep breath. "She's... She's not coming back."

Natasha's lip started to shake, then she started crying. Kent held her closer, rocking her again. Chandler's stomach was in knots and he didn't know how to continue.

"Someone's going to have to look after you. We don't know who yet, so you'll have to stay here with Emerson for the rest of the day." She started wiping her eyes as she nodded.

"Natasha... Where's your dad?"

"I don't know." She sobbed. So he didn't upset her further, he didn't press on.

"Was there anyone else living with you?" She nodded. "Who?"

"Sam."

"Sam?"

"The Toy Man."

Kent and Chandler looked at each other quickly. "Thank you, Natasha." And with that, Chandler left. They had a new suspect.

-WC-

Later on that evening, Miles knocked on Chandler's door. He needed to ask him something. The question has been eating him up inside. He decided to take the opportunity to get it off his chest.

"Come in." Miles gently opened the door and walked in. Chandler looked up from the file he was reading. "Can I help you?"

"I, er, wanted to ask you about Timothy."

Chandler raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes?"

"What do you think of him?"

"Well, he's a good worker. Tidy, eager. He gets along with everyone perfectly. He's practically perfect."

Miles nodded his head slowly. Chandler sighed.

"What wrong with him?"

"I don't know, he just seems... I don't know. There's something about him that makes me not trust him, but I don't know what it is."

"Miles, you shouldn't be so quick to judge people."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I rememer you had a very bad opinion when I first joined the team, and look how wrong you were."

"I wasn't wrong, it's just that I learnt that it wasn't all that bad. You're still the pencil-pushing, paper policeman I thought you were, I just don't care about it anymore."

"Is that really how you see me? After all this time, you still think of me as a stuck-up snob?!"

"Honestly, yes!" The room fell silent.

"Listen. I don't care what you think about me. All I care about is solving this case. Timothy is a good person in my view, so you can hate him all you want, but just deal with it. Because he's here to stay. Goodbye Miles."

Miles stormed out of the office.

-WC-

Chandler was still angry at Miles. He wasn't too surprised that he thought that way about him, but it still hurt. But then, at that moment, came the-

Knock, knock, knock.

Kent came into the office with Natasha, a worried look on his face. Chandler noticed immediately and walked over to them.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Kent looked at the child. "Natasha, tell Joe what you told me."

Natasha smiled at Chandler, then said, "I just saw Sam!"

Chandler looked bak at Emerson, then at Natasha again.

"Sam?"

"The Toy Man!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that went well, most of it wasn't what I planned (I have each chapter's contents written down so I know what to contain. OCD, sorry) but I just went with it anyway.


	3. The Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A murderer is on the loose, and with the team falling apart, will they catch him? The killer was inspired by the show Being Human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took so long to update, it's been a busy time. Anyhow, hope you enjoy it! :)

"Nat, go and see Meg, okay?"

 

Natasha ran out of Chandler's office and straight to Riley. Kent's shut the door behind her.

 

"Please tell me this is some ind of a joke."

 

"I don't know, Sir. I walked into the room, and-"

 

"Walked into the room? What were you doing **out** of it?" Chandler asked angrily.

 

"I was just across the corridor. I was only gone for a few seconds."

 

"And that's enough time for this man to make himself known! Why would you leave a 5 year old girl alone when they're is a murderer on the loose who may want to kill her?!"

 

Kent was surprised at the outburst. "It wasn't as if I was miles away! I was across the corridor!"

 

"That's not the point!" He exclaimed. I don't care if you were right outside the door, you should have been with her!"

 

A knock at the door interupted their argument. A nervous Timmy opened the door, slowly.

 

"Sir, I have some good news and some bad news."

 

"What's the good news?"

 

"We've found the father."

 

Chandler smiled. "That's great! What's the bad news?"

 

"He's with Llewellyn."

 

-WC-

 

"...So, to summarise, his injuries are exactly the same as the mother's."

 

"Is it possible that he killed the woman, then killed himself?" Miles asked.

 

"No. He couldn't have done this himself. The extent of the cut suggests that it was done by someone else."

 

"So, this 'Toy Man' is still our prime suspect?" Kent added.

 

Chandler looked at him. He could hear a hint of guilt in his voice. Guilt he probably made him feel. "I guess so."

 

They thanked Llewellyn, then they left. Chandler quickly grabbed Kent and pulled him to an empty corridor.

 

"Look, I want to apologise for before. I shouldn't have-"

 

"Don't. It's not your fault. You were right, I should have stayed with her."

 

"Well, I guess you could say we were both in the wrong. Let's just forget about it. What do we always say?"

 

"It's Kent and Chandler's problem. Not Joe and Emerson's problem."

 

"Okay." He took Kent's hand in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  "Come on. The team are probably wondering where we run off to."

 

"And Finlay probably has some... pretty graphic ideas."

 

Chandler laughed. "Exactly. Let's go."

 

-WC-

 

Riley sat at her desk with Natasha, telling her stories and boucing her on her lap. She's always loved children. With kid's of her own, how couldn't she.

 

When Kent and Chandler walked into the room, Nat jumped up and shouted  "Em!" before running towards him. He picked he rup as she hugged him.

 

_How is he going to be able to let her go when this is all over?_ She thought. _Where would she go?_   There were many questions that needed to be answered, many of which that no one knew the answer to nor wanted to answer.

 

Mansell walked over to Riley's desk, looking at Kent as he sat on the edge.

 

"I don't know how he can cope with being stuck with a child all day." He commented.

 

"Natasha's a good kid." She replied, confusion evident on her face.

 

"No. Kids are brats. The lot of them."

 

Meg grew angry at that statement. "How can you say that?"

 

"Well, all they do is beg and scream. It's annoying." He laughed.

 

"How dare you?! That child's mother has died and you're here bad-mouthing her!"

 

"It's just my opinion-"

 

"And i would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself!"

 

She got up and walked away.

 

-WC-

 

Timmy approached Kent later that day. He didn't have Natasha with him, which he was glad for, because he didn't want to talk to Kent in front of.

 

"Hey, are you okay?"

 

Kent looked up from the file, confused. "Sure, why do you ask?"

 

"Well, it's just that... Well... That thing before... With you and the boss."

 

"Oh, no. That's all sorted. It was nothing important."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Yeah. There's nothing to worry about. Besides, it was Kent and Chandler's problem, not Joe and Emerson's."

 

"And what's that supposed to mean? If you don't mind me asking?"

 

"Well, erm, it means that it was a work issue for Kent and Chandler to worry about, not a... domestic, as some may call it. It's not for Joe and Emerson to stress over."

 

"But I don't understand." Timmy commented. "I mean, it's the same people. You are both of them, so it's to worry about in both scenarios, if that makes any sense."

 

Kent thought about it. "I guess you're right."

 

"You know what, don't listen to me. What do I know? It's not my problem."

 

Timmy goes to walk away, but Kent stops him by grabbing his arm. "Thanks."

 

"For what?"

 

"For being a friend, I guess."

 

Timmy smiled slightly. "I try my best."

 

At that moment, Chandler walked out of his office. Everyone turned to look at him, and he looked at each of them in return - gaze lingering on Kent for a moment - then announced "We have another body."...


	4. Jonathan and Charlie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me this long to update. I had a lot I needed to put into this chapter in order to get to where I wanted to be in the last chapter, but I had little opportunities to write it as I have been busy with exams and school work.

It was a complete replica of the last murder.

A woman was fund in her living room with her throat slashed. Her 15 year old son, Jonathan, and 7 year old, Charlie, were upstairs when the body was found. Mansell commented that Kent was practically a full-time parent now. _Prick._

Llewellyn had apparently found a white mark on the victim's finger, confirming they had another missing husband to find. But with no leads or witnesses, it almost seemed an impossible task.

"Okay, Mansell, Timmy, I want you to go and find any CCTV footage available showing the area. Riley, Kent, I want you both to talk to the neighbour, see if he noticed anything suspicious. Miles and I will interview the woman who found the body." Chandler finished with a nod of the head, signalling everyone to leave the incident room.

As he and Riley made their way to the house, Kent asked "What's up with you and Mansell?"

"He's an arsehole." She replied without a second of thought.

"I'm fully aware of that, but I was hoping for a bit more detail." He joked.

She sighed. "He said that all ids ae annoying, little brats."

"Seriously?! Wow, Erica's hit the jackpot with him."

"Yeah, I guess you and the bss are the lucky ones." She replied with a smirk on her face. Kent quickly turned to look at her before shaking his head disapprovingly whilst trying to form words.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Riley started laughing, amused by his defensiveness.

"Look at you! You love that child, and so does he. Natasha's obsessed with you, and she has good rapport with the boss. You're the perfect family! Have you even thought about where she's going after this?"

Kent paused. "I never got around to it." he said, softly. Riley gave him an incredulous look. "... I didn't want to get around to it." He added. "I guess I'll miss her a little bit."

"Well, you won't have to miss her if you-"

"Right, the neighbour's name is Philip Raymond, 46 years old, lives alone." He confirmed, changing the subject.

They knocked on the door.

"You'll have to think about it sooner or later."

Philip opened the door.

Hi, I'm DC Kent, this is DC Riley. May we have a word?"

-WC-

Mansell checked the street for any CCTV cameras, not noticing Timmy walking up behind him.

"There's none in the back street." He confirmed.

"Shit That would have given us a close view of the living room."

Timmy started to help look in the front street. He then brought up the situation concerning him and Riley.

"All I did was say that I didn't like children, but she got really pissed off!"

Timmy put an arm around his shoulder. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I totally agree with you. Kids are annoying. I have complete sympathy for parents."

Mansell smiled at Timmy. "Thanks, mate. It's nice to know there's someone on my side."

"No problem... Look, there's a camera." He said, pointing to a house across the street.

"Great. Let's just get the tape, then head straight back. I'm absolutely knackered." Mansell sighed. This elicited a chuckle from Timmy.

"Come on, then."

-WC-

Miles and Chandler were sat in an interview room with Janet Pudget, the victim's other neighbour, the one who found the body.

"How long have you and Danielle Carson been neighbours?" Chandler began with an easy question to let her settle into the conversation.

"About 3 years. We weren't close, but she was a nice person. I've never had problems with her."

"What brought you to visit her house last night?" Miles questioned, deciding to jump into the deep end.

"Well, erm, earlier that morning the postman came and asked me if I could give her a parcel because she wasn't in. I didn't see her come home at any point, so I just went over anyway."

"And the what happened?"

"I knocked on the door, but there was no reply. After a while, I decided to try the door, but it was locked, so I looked throught the window, and... and I saw..."

Miles took her hand from across the table in a comforting guesture. "Its okay, love. That's all you need to tell us." He ended his statement with a reassuring smile.

Upon leaving the interrogation room, Miles turned to Chandler. "She said the door was locked when she visited the house."

"So?" Chandler asked in confusion.

"Well, the door was apparently unlocked when the police arrived"

Realisation hit Chandler like a bullet "So either she's lying, or -"

"The killer came back."

-WC-

Kent was sitting in an interview room, waiting for Chandler to arrive. He was with Charlie - who was just sitting there, staring down at his lap - and Jonathan - who seemed torn about what he wanted to do, eyes wandering around the room for something to focus on. That's usually the best thing about an interview room, nowhere to look apart from at the detectives, but in this case it seemed to be troubling. Kent decided to help out.

"So, what year are you in at school?"

Jonathan smield slightly. "Year 11."

"Ah, GCSEs. What's your specialist subject?"

"PE."

"I was always shit at PE. Look at me, I could make a skeleton jealous." He joked.

"You shouldn't complain, at least you've got a boyfriend."

Emerson froze at the statement. _How did he know that?_

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"The DI. The one that's coming to speak to us." He said it as if it was a well known fact, whereas (in reality) not everyone knew. The commander would kill Joe if he knew a potential witness found out before him. The only reason the team knew was because they were there since day one, and it's hard to keep secrets in an incident room.

Jonathan must have saw the worry on Kent's face. "I don't mind. My mate's dad's is gay. All the girls at school talk to him, lucky sod." The fond smile on the boy's face didn't quite meet his eyes. "I might not see him again."

"What do you mean? Of course you will."

"But if my dad doesn't come back, then me and Charlie will probably have to live with our auntie in Norwich. We'll have to move school, make new friends-"

"It'll be okay. Your school might be better than the one you go to now, and I'm sure your auntie will let you visit your friends during the holidays. I promise things will be okay." Jonathan nodded.

"... I just want my mammy back." Charlie sobs.

At that point, Chandler walked into the room. "Sorry I'm late. DI Chandler." He held out his hand to Jonathan, who shook it weakly.

"How did the interview go?" The DC enquired.

"We got something that might be useful." Although it sounded like good news, the older man's voice begged to differ. He turned to face the children in front of him.

"So, you're Danielle Carson's sons."

"Yeah."

"And where were you at the time of the incident." The DC noticed how Chandler was choosing his words carefully.

"Upstairs. We were playing a new game I bought. We must have fell asleep though, 'cause all I remember is being woken up by a copper." He began to choke up. Charlie buried himself deeper into Jonathan's arms. Kent sympathised for them, he really did, but if they wanted to get anywhere in the enquiry, he would have to continue.

"How long ago did you dad leave?"

"About a week ago."

"Was it just the three of you in the house after that?"

Jonathan went to say "yes", but then stopped as if he remembered something.

"Where's Jack?"

The detectives glanced at each other.

"Jack?"

Charlie perked up, releasing his grip from Jonathan's arm to say "The Toy Man."

"He's been living with us for two weeks now." He looked at the shocked detectives. "What?"

"How close was he to your mother?" Chandler asked, cautiously.

Realisation struck the teen. "You don't think he's involved, do you?"

"Well... We can't be certain, but we have to follow all possible leads."

He scoffed. "I told her not to let that weirdo into the house."

"Why's that?" Kent enquired.

"It was just strange. He came to the house selling toys. Nobody does that anymore. Then, out of the blue, he has engine failure, but wouldn't he have known there was something wrong? Then again, his warning light wasn't flashing."

"But-"

"Exactly. My mam offered him a place to stay because he didn't have anywhere else to go and no money to go anywhere. She was always so soft."

"So he has no house? No hotel room?" Chandler felt as confused as the boy seemed to be. Nothing added up.

"He said he didn't. That's the ony part I believed, though, because he didn't sound like he was from around here. He had a scouse accent."

Kent noted it down. "Would you be able to give a description of the man?"

He pondered the question. "Erm, yeah. Average height, brown hair... I don't know the exact colour, but his eyes were dark, possibly brown, too. Looked around your age." He added, nodding towards Chandler.

"Thank you for your help." Chandler smiled. "It's very useful."

"No problem. As long as you catch him."

Kent gave him a reassuring look. "We will. An officer is going to take you to the room Natasha's in. I'll be checking on you later."

-WC-

From what Buchan had heard, they had found the missing husband, and this murder had been no different from the others.

He was thinking about thi whilst cleaning the archives (to make sure that the mould stays away). Thoughts were gnawing at the back of his mind; _Is there any cases that could help? Why does this sound so familiar?_

He couldn't reach the wall properly, so he pulled a file off the shelf to create a wider gap. As he did this, some papers fell out, scattering all around him. With a sigh, he went to collect them. As he shoved them back into their file, he glanced at the page. Realisation hit him, so he pulled the page back out and started to read the words more thoroughly.

"Eureka!"

Buchan burst through the office door, startling Chandler.

"Yes, Ed. Please, come in(!)"

"I'm sorry, Joe, but this is a matter of urgency. This is a case from Barry in 2011. Families were distraught as they heard about parents being slaughtered in their own homes-"

"Stop making this a pantomine and get to the point. I have things to do."

"The families in yur case are all isolated, have young children and a broken marriage, right?"

"Yes?"

"So were the families in this one. Police thought that the killer must have lived with them and provoked an argument between the couple, causing them to break up."

"That makes sense, but what's significant about the children? They're all talking about some 'Toy Man'."

Buchan stroked his chin in a overzealous display of thought. "Well, the could be an incentive. A way to get into the house."

"You think he's befriending the children, coming to the house, and living there?"

"I know it sounds strange, but it's worth a thought."

Chandler sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. It fits what Jonathan told us. Good job, Ed."

Buchan smiled. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an archive to clean."

He walked towards the door, smiling at the approaching DC.

"Hello, Timothy."

"Mornin', Ed. Sir, could I have a word?"

-WC-

The incident room wa silent. Kent and Chandler had arrived earlier than everyone else, which often happened. Kent was sitting at his desk, same as always, but something was different this time. He was being unusally quiet.

There was no idle chat, no tapping of fingers against the keyboard, not even the rustling of papers.

And it wasn't as if it was just at work; He'd been like that at home too.

Chandler decided to just leave it. Something was probably on his mind, and if he chose to tell him, then he'd be all ears. But, until then, he'll just have to wait.

As if he'd heard Chandler's thoughts, Kent got up from his desk and headed towards the office, gently tapping his knuckled against the door to let Joe know he was there.

"Emerson?"

"Hi." Kent offered as a greeting. He seemed to not want to look at Chandler, eyes scanning every other part of the room.

"Is something wrong?" Chandler prompted, hoping it would get an answer.

"I was wondering," _Luck's on my side today._ "What's going to happen to the Natasha after all of this?" _I spoke too soon._

Of course he'd thought about it, but he usually stopped when he realised where his mind had taken him. He didn't think he was ready for that.

"Why do you ask?" Was the only question he trusted himself to say.

"Just thinking. Jonathan and Charlie will be going to live with their auntie, but Natasha doesn't seem to have any other family."

"There's not really much we can do about that. It's out of our hands."

Kent suddenly became very interested in his own, which he was currently wringing in a display of nervousness. "There might be a way around that-"

"Why do we have to talk about this now?" Chandler jumped in, scared at where the conversation was going.

"Well, we can't keep putting it off. I'm worried about her."

"You shouldn't be getting attached. Don't build a relationship you'll be unable to continue."

"But what if I could?"

Chandler's heart skipped a beat at the implication. Ken't not the only one who'd thought of that option, but it seemed too far-fetched, especially in their situation. With two mental illnesses between them, neither of them can really think about children. _What am I talking about? We can't think about children, full stop. It's a preposterous idea._

"That's impossible."

"She's just a kid, Joe. You can't just leave her somewhere. She needs care. And I care about her."

"Where are you going with this?"

"It's just-- I have a feeling, that-"

"Great . Another feeling." Annoyance was gnawing at him, making his skin itch, though he was unsure why. "I thought you would have learnt by now. Feelings don't help anything; they just make things worse. If it wasn't for one of your 'feelings', then maybe Morgan would-"

"What?" Kent finally met his gaze, hurt seeping through.

He didn't know where it came from. The anger. It just erupted from him without warning. He never meant to say it.

"Em, I-"

"You told me you wouldn't use that against me, Joe. You promised!"

The anger in his voice struck a cord within Chandler. He made a promise to himself to never hurt Kent again. It had happened too many times in the past. But now, he'd ruined it.

"I'm sorry, Emerson, I didn't-"

"What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird since yesterday. Have I done something wrong? Again?"

Chandler had stood up and begun to walk around his desk towards the younger man. "No! Of course not! Look, let's forget about this, okay. What do we always-"

Kent scoffed. "You know what, Joe? This isn't Kent and Chandler's problem, but it's not Joe and Emerson's problem either! This is Joseph Chandler's problem!"

At that moment, Riley and Mansell's laughing voices swept through the air, breaking the tense silence that had filled it earlier. Kent left the office with a quiet "Fix it.".

-WC-

Miles looked around the incident room. So much has changed since Timmy transferred from Liverpool. Riley and Mansell has stopped talking to each other, Kent seemed to be going through mixed emotions and Chandler seemed distant.

But somehow, Timmy seemed to be a link between everyone. He was friends with everybody except Miles.

Why was everyone drawn to him? And what was it about him that made Miles not trust him?

-WC-

Timmy walked up to Riley's desk.

"I haven't had a chance to ask, but are you okay? Mansell was completely out of order saying what he did."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Timmy. It's nice to know there are still some decent people out there." She smiled.

Timmy returned the guesture. "What about Kent? He's pretty decent too."

"Well, yeah, but not like you."

"That's true." He joked, earning a laugh from Riley. "Listen, just ignore Mansell. Cheer up a bit. You shouldn't let people like him get you down."

"Thanks, love."

"Hey, what's up with Kent?"

"He and the boss had a falling out."

"That explains a lot. I always say; never let feelings interfere with work."

-WC-

Chandler arrived home, finding that it seemed larger and quiter. He went to put his keys in the bowl by the front door, but paused when he saw a note attached to it. Dropping his keys into the right place, he picked up the note and read the words he was expecting.

'Stopping at Erica's

\- Kent'

The use of his surname spoke a thousand words. He felt any wither of happiness he may of possessed leave his body at the thought of Kent not being there, leaving him feeling depressed, stressed and tired.

Flats never meant much to him. They were just places to eat and sleep in his eyes. However, looking around the empty space, he noticed how many memories emitted from everyday objects he would never give a thought to.

The desk where Em would sit, reading a file or doing some paperwork, whilst sing along to that band he likes - Colour of Something.

The kitchen where Emerson would **not** cook food.

"You can't keep living off takeaways. It's not healthy."

"As much as I appreciate your concern for my health, I like eating takeaways. Plus, it's easier than cooking."

"But it's... unsanitary. You don't know what they're doing with your food."

"Yeah, but cooking's unsanitary too. Getting grease or juices or whatever strange things that lurk in food on your hands, then you touch something else and get it on there, and then-"

"You scare me, Emerson."

"You're welcome."

The alcohol cabinet which still contained the bottle of whiskey that factored in the beginning of it all.

But all he was left with was a case with no rational suspects, no leads, no witnesses, and now... No Emerson either.

-WC-

Chandler arrived at work very early the next day after a night of tossing and turning in an empty oversized bed. He missed having Kent around; holding him as they slept; being woken up with lazy kisses or the smell of breakfast and a cup of green tea waiting for him. He'd have to talk to him at some point.

_But that obviously won't be right now,_ he thought, as he saw a familiar mop of blonde hair run towards him.

"Timmy, what's wrong?"

"There's been a reported sighting of the killer."

Chandler was filled with shock, panic and excitement at the same time. "How can we be sure it's him?"

"He fits the description we got from Jonathan, even down to the accent, and he appears to be armed with a weapon that is possible to be the murder weapon."

"Where are the others?"

"They're not here yet, but I've called them. They'll probably we on their way to the place of sighting now."

Chandler turned to get back to his car. "Come on, then. We have not time to lose. You drive, since you know the address."

"Yes, Sir."

It wasn't long before they were in the car and on the road. Timmy glanced at Chandler.

"Are you okay, Sir? You don't look too good."

"I didn't get much sleep last night."

Timmy nodded slowly. "Was it because of Emerson?"

"I would prefer not to talk about it. It's none of your business, and we have a job to be doing."

Timmy smirked. ""Oh, Chandler. Look at you. With that charming _smile_. That incredibly _dull_ personality. I can't tell if Kent left because he was angry or he was scared he'd continue to self-harm if you mentioned those bloody bins again."

"Excuse me?!"

"Don't be upset. You're nice. It's your thing. But it drives people away. It drove McCormick to suicide, from what I've heard."

"Why would you say that?"

"Oh, Chandler, I try, believe me, but you'd have to have the patience of a saint to spend more than a day with you. And, well... I'm no saint. Okay, confession time. I never was a detective. But, do you know what I love? Kids. When they see me, they come running. They think I'm a toy salesman. The Toy Man! They'd all cry, their little faces. I'd go town-to-town, door-to-door, selling my wares. Getting to know the kids. Getting to know their mums. I'd be a bit hopeless. Be a bit cheeky. And then I'd say, "Oh, no! My car's broken down!". They'd say "Oh, you could stay here then, if you'd like?" People can be so nice. Anyway, I'd settle myself in, we'd be a nice little family. I'd never want it to end. But families never last. Dad fights with mum, dad walks out, and the kid's heart gets broken. Then it all ends. Ruined. When I cut their throats, I know it's bad, but the feeling, Joseph. Evil is like travelling first class. Try it once and you'll never go back. Not that you'd ever understand. Because you'll always be plain. And boring. Isn't that right? Unloved. Alone. Unloveable. I'm sure someone will remember you. Or, maybe not."

Timmy put a hand into his jacket and pulled out a gun, showed it to Chandler then put it back.

"I bet you won't even go out with a bang."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note for those who don't know, Barry is a place in Wales... I felt like I needed to add that in case somebody thought some bloke gave the file to Buchan.  
> Anyway, the next chapter is going to contain a bit more information concerning how Kent and Chandler got together, as well as an interesting revelation.


	5. Timmy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT! I tried really hard to get this done, and I have to thank my sister, Kayleigh, for helping me out with this chapter.  
> This is the last chapter of the fic, though there will be an extra chapter added (explained in more detail in the authors note at the end)  
> This involves an overload of flashbacks, so I apologise. I should also warn that there are mentions of self-harm in this chapter. If you wish to skip that part, stop reading at the paragraph that starts with the words 'Taking advantage of...' and start reading again at the line '"What are doing?"' (Wow, that makes it sound strange). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_Chandler was in his office, staring at his pot of tiger balm, willing the emptiness in the pit of his stomach to go away. They had failed again._ He _had failed again. Every single one of them were dead, and he couldn't help but blame himself._

_Without a second thought, Chandler stood up from his desk and strided into the incident room, his legs taking him to a familiar desk._

_"Sir?"_

_The DC looked up at him with those deep, brown eyes that would put a puppy to shame. Kent had also been affected by the evening's events, the blond man could tell. It was written all over his face like an open book._

_"Are you still up for that drink?" The DI asked before he could change his mind. If he thought about it too much, the more he would think it was a bad idea, and the doubt would stop him. He needed it. He needed to drink until he forgets, he needed to numb the pain, he needed to leave his demons behind for one night._

_Kent seemed confused, like he didn't expect Chandler to ask such a thing. The older man thought about taking away the offer and going back to his office, but a shy - yet happy - voice spoke up. "Okay."_

-WC-

_God I need some coffee,_ Mansell thought, flicking through a file with his cheek leaning on his palm. He was officially bored. No new evidence and no new leads makes Finally a dull boy.

As if a curly-haired, Bambi-like God had answered his prayers, a hot container of Starbucks coffee appeared in front of him. The disgruntled voice of said God muttered "Tell your girlfriend to get better furniture."

"I'd ask why, but experience lends me the answer. What were you doing at Erica's last night? What's wrong?"

Kent slammed his bag on his desk before rifling through it. "Well, our boss is a dick who can't leave things in the past and my back fucking hurts off that fucking sofa - which I'm pretty sure is older than Skip!" He sighed, and collapsed in his chair.

"Oi!" came a voice raised in mock anger from across the room. "I'm still alive and kicking, you know. But, in all seriousness, where is his nibs?"

Kent pulled something out of his bag while shrugging. "I thought he was already here. He wasn't at the flat when I went to get my charger." He replied, plugging in the aforementioned object.

"Well, someone has to know where he is." The room went quiet as nobody has an answer. Miles turned back to the young DC. "Here, pass your phone over."

"Why does it have to be mine?" He complained, although he still did as he was told.

"Knowing him, he'll answer quicker if it's you." Skip started to type in Chandler's number and pressed the phone to his ear.

"I doubt that." The brunet mumbled to himself. The incident room remained silent, waiting for Chandler to pick up... But he doesn't.

Skip pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in confusion. He stormed to his own desk and picked up his phone. He redialled Chandler's number and waited for him to answer, but the call disconnected with a couple of rings, a clear sign he had been hung up on. Miles turned to the rest of the team and told them what had happened. Riley looked toward Kent. "Do you know how long he stayed here last night?"

"I'm not sure, I went to Erica's before I had a chance to see him." He replied, wearily.

Riley suddenly had an idea. "We could check the CCTV from the station."

Miles contemplated the idea for a moment before agreeing. Mansell headed out to check the CCTV whilst Miles and Riley looked over the case notes, all their faces tinged with worry. Kent loitered around his desk, thinking about Chandler's whereabouts. _Joe's not answering his phone? It is kind of a..._

-WC-

_... Strange scenario, and Kent didn't know what to do. He was sitting in a pub with his boss, an uncomfortable silence screaming in his ears as he tried not to fidget._

_However, despite the fact that it was strange and uncomfortable, the young man couldn't be happier. Any time spent alone with the blond counted as a win to Kent._

_"Thank you for this, Emerson." The DC almost jumped at the sound of Chandler's voice spontaneously cutting through the lull of the evening. Kent looked down at his hands, trying to conceal the blush on his cheeks._

_"It's not a problem, Sir."_

_"Please, it's Joe." The DI corrected, copying Kent's actions before nursing his drink._

-WC-

Timmy's patience could only last so long. The two men were sitting in the car, which was parked in the middle of an abandoned street, the gun still trained on Chandler. It wasn't long into the awkward silence when the murderer gave up. "What? No remark, no shock, no surprise? I expected more from you, can't say I'm not disappointed."

The silence continued for a short while, until the shrieking of Chandler's phone cut through it. The DI glanced at his pocket before Timmy move to retrieve the phone. Looking at the screen, the man chuckled. "Emerson? Calling you already? That's a bit desperate."

Chandler's flinch was noticeable, adding to Timmy's joy. As the noise ceased, Joseph finally looked Timmy in the eye. "What are you trying to accomplish by targetting the team? You said you go after families, so why us?"

"Are you really that naive, Joseph? Can you really not see it?"

"See what?" He snapped, growing tired of Timmy's games. At that point, the phone began to ring again. The Scouse man groaned and hung up, throwing the phone onto the back seat.

"That! Looking after each other, being so close and friendly - You and Kent for crying out loud! You're the exact equivalent of a family."

Chandler looked away in confusion. _Is Kent close enough to be my family? Sure, we're close now, we're... courting, but we're not that close... Right? It took a lot of effort to get to where we are now. I can still remember a time when I could barely talk to him. How did that lead to a time when..._

-WC-

_... The two detectives were walking through the empty streets of Whitechapel, the only sounds being their footfalls and the drunken exchanges between them. Their current topic of conversation: Finlay Mansell._

_"Come on, Sir, admit it!"_

_"I can't I'm his boss!"_

_Kent rolled his eyes. "But even you have to admit he's a bit of a dick. I won't tell anyone if you say it."_

_"Kent, I-" The younger man had stopped walking and was staring at Chandler in anticipation of his answer. The blond sighed. "Okay, he is a bit of a... Well, for want of a better word, dick... I can't believe I've just said that."_

_A huge smile broke out on Kent's face before he continued walking. "Finally, someone said it!" Chandler smiled slightly at the DC's joyous outburst, but the smile quickly faded as he continued. "Since we're being honest, what do you think of me?"_

_"I can't tell you that."_

_"Why not?"_

_The DI could almost laugh at the genuine confusion on Kent's face. "Because it's personal to me."_

_"Hmm..." The younger man went silent for a while before finally uttering "Could you at least tell me whether it's a good or bad opinion?"_

_Chandler looked down at the brunet sadly. "It depends on where you're standing..." He shifted uncomfortably under Emerson's wondering gaze. It was then that the older man had an idea. "Why don't you come to mine? I have a bottle of whiskey that needs opening."_

_"You want to get me more drunk than I already am?" He laughs silently. "Sure, why not?"_

-WC-

Kent flicked through the CCTV images in his hands, depicting Chandler's earlier movements, trying to make sense of the unfolding scene. He sighs, dropping his hands to his sides before pushing open the door to the interrogation room.

"DC Kent." Jonathan greeted. He was sat in a corner reading a book whilst Charlie and Natasha sat on the floor building a tower with Lego.

"Morning." replied Kent. "I came to check up on you." he said, placing the CCTV stills on the table.

"We're fine, right guys?"

"Yeah," Charlie agreed, getting up and heading towards the remaining toys on the table. Natasha simply nodded.

"Natasha's still down and a bit distant, for obvious reasons, but her and Charlie seem to be getting on fine." Jonathan elaborates.

"Good to hear. Anyway, a PC will be around to bring you some food soon. If you need anything or want t speak with one of us, just ask them and they'll-"

"It's the Toy Man!" Charlie interrupts.

"What?" Kent said, rushing over to where Charlie was standing. The boy points to Timmy of the CCTV stills. "Charlie, are you sure?"

Jonathan walked over, Natasha following him, and picked up one of the images. "Yeah, that's him. That's Jack. Different hair, but that's him."

Natasha impatiently climbed up onto a chair and looked over Jonathan's shoulder. When she saw the picture, she yelled "Sam!"

Jonathan turned to Kent. "Who's Sam?"

"The Toy Man." Kent replied, grabbing the images from the table. "You three, follow me."

They rushed to the incident room, Jonathan carrying Natasha and Charlie running alongside them. Upon their arrival, Meg turned and raised and eyebrow. "I thought they weren't supposed to leave the interrogation room?"

Kent ignored her questioning to ask with a panicked voice. "Do we have any pictures of Timmy? Proper ones?"

"Here." Mansell shouted, sitting at his computer. "I'll check his files."

The team gathered around Mansell's desk, confused by Kent's inquiry. After a few moments, a photograph of Timmy filled the screen. Kent brought the teenager over to the screen. "Is this him?"

Jonathan looked panicked, perplexed as to what was happening, but as his eye caught the picture on the screen, he froze. He turned his head away from the image and towards Kent. "Yeah... Yeah, that's him."

The room went silent as the pieces fell together. "Does this mean..." Mansell began, unable to finish his sentence.

"Timmy's the killer." Miles finished for him. "I knew something was off about him."

Riley called for one of the other detectives to take the children back to the interrogation room.

"I think we can all agree that finding the boss has now become our top priority." Miles addressed the room.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Mansell inquired. "Timmy's phone is switched off, the boss isn't answering and there's only so far CCTV can go."

Riley joked. "If only people came with tracking chips. It'll make motherhood easier."

At that comment, Kent perked up. "Tracking chip?" he muttered to himself. This attracted everyone's attention.

"What do you mean, lad?" Miles asked, confused.

"Joe mentioned once that Anderson put a tracking chip on his phone." Everyone in the room looked at Kent, confused. "I'm not sure why, he never said, probably protection." He spoke quickly, touching his phone offhandedly.

"Well, is it still active?"

"Like I said, I don't know. If anyone would know, it's Anderson."

"So, if his phone is still on him, we may be able to find him... Well, it looks like we're gonna have to pay an old friend a visit. Let's go."

While gathering his things, Kent started thinking about Chandler again. The team all believed Timmy was going to hurt Chandler. They had to be wrong. He hoped they were...

-WC-

_... Lying in bed, resting after their previous activities. They'd both lost count of how many times it had happened. They were both oblivious to the amount of Kent's possessions that now had a permanent place in Chandler's flat._

_Taking advantage of his partner's semi-conscious form, Chandler took him time running his fingers across the scars adorning Kent's thighs and back, as well as the matching ones on his upper arms. Doing this sent a feeling of protection surging through the DI's body, as though it was his duty to keep his subordinate from harm._

_"What are you doing?" An exhausted voice asked him._

_Chandler rolled onto his side and draped an arm over Kent's waist, pulling him closer until his back was flush against his chest. "Nothing of importance."_

_They both enjoyed those peaceful moments, when they could forget about their job, about the implications of his actions, about the world around them. The line between colleagues and - Well... more - was thinning every day, but they didn't care. All they cared about was those peaceful moments._

-WC-

"DS Miles. Anything I may help you with?"

Kent, Miles and Mansell were currently standing in Anderson's office, who seemed annoyed at the detectives' presence. "Yes, actually. I've heard you have a tracker on our DI."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "It's true. How did you know?" Anderson glanced at Kent, making his guess known.

"Not important - Is it still active? Would you be able to track him down?" Miles asked, hurriedly.

"I believe so." Anderson assures, moving to retrieve his phone from his desk. "Though I haven't used it in a while." As Anderson searched on his phone, Kent's own mobile vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at is, but ignored it, confusing the other detectives. There was a pause to the Commander's actions as he waited for his phone to send him the information he needed. In this pause, he took the opportunity to look towards the doe-eyed DC, who was standing quietly by the door while wringing his hands, a sure sign of his nervousness. "I thought you were supposed to be looking after him now. I thought I could trust you to not mess _this_ up." He spoke calmly.

Kent's breath caught in his throat, startled by being addressed. "Sorry," is all he could say, his voice barely above a whisper. However, a beep from Anderson' phone prevented anyone from mentioning it.

"Ah, there we are." The man remarked. "Do you know where this is?" He asked, passing the phone to the detectives.

After a moment's studying, Mansell exclaimed "I know it! It's an old street, usually abandoned, not too far away from the station."

"Hiding in plain sight." Miles growled. "Thank you, Commander."

"Not a problem." Anderson replied, taking his phone back. The team began to leave, but the Commander called "Emerson." The curly haired man stopped in his tracks, turning back. "Find him. Make sure he's safe."

Kent met Anderson's eyes. "I will. I owe you that much." He turned, hurrying to catch up with the others. _Of course I will. This relationship has been the best year of my life. Well, then again, it's only been..._

-WC-

_"... 6 months. No, that's not right. We've only been dating for around 1 month. But, it technically started-"_

_"You're over-thinking it." Kent chuckled. After everyone had left for lunch, Chandler had pulled the younger man into his office. Kent was currently sat on the edge of the desk while Chandler paced._

_"No, I'm not. We need to think this through. Get all the facts in place." The DI leant on the desk next to his partner, who was still amused._

_"Why?"_

_Joseph sighed lightly. "Miles said I seemed happy the other day. Curiously. And if he's curious, he'll eventually ask why."_

_Kent rested his head on Chandler's shoulder, his smile still in place. "And if he does, you'll just tell him the truth. It's not like we need to censor anything."_

_"Except the start."_

_"Well, he doesn't need to know that part."_

_The blond laughed lightly, turning to kiss his lover's forehead. "I guess you're right." This caused the younger man to lift his head from its resting position so he can be face to face with the DI._

_"Of course I am." He whispered, leaning in to close the distance between them. The warmth of the DC's mouth was inviting, allowing Chandler to deepen the kiss and forget about his surroundings._

_That was until a voice called out "I guess I owe you twenty quid, Skip."_

_The couple pulled away and looked towards the incident room to see Miles smirking, Riley waving, and Mansell looking half-amused and half-pissed off._

_Kent mimicked Miles' expression, pushing himself off Chandler's desk and patting him on the shoulder comfortingly. "There you go, problem solved."_

-WC-

Chandler heard his phone vibrate from the back seat. He briefly glanced at it, having no intention to try and retrieve it, before return his gaze back to Timmy. "So, you were behind it all?"

Timmy giggled. "You finally caught on! Wow, I'm impressed."

"Stop being sarcastic. Why did you do it?" the blond snapped, annoyance seeping through his words.

"Like I said before, I don't like families. And yours really angered me. You argue on almost a weekly basis, yet you still stick around and work through it." The man sighed heavily in an overzealous fashion that reminded Chandler too much of Buchan.

"We have to, we're a team, there's not much we can do..." Chandler trailed off as Timmy leaned over to him with a smile on his face.

"You're naive, Joe." He leans back in his seat. "Anyway, it wasn't hard to break up your little group. A small visit to Natasha made you and Kent have a tiff, the mere mention of kids led to Mansell and Riley falling apart, a small nudge made Kent doubt your relationship, and our conversation..."

_"Mornin', Ed. Sir, could I have a word?"_

_Chandler looked up from the files Buchan gave him to pay full attention to the new DC. "Of course, what about?"_

_"Well, I..." Timmy trailed off as he noticed the folders he had tucked under his arm. "Oh, I almost forgot, I wanted to return these files." He stated, holding them up. "I've been doing my homework." He added with a smile._

_"What on?" The DI asked in confusion._

_"Some of the team's big cases. I thought that there may be something I could use as a reference in this case, a method we haven't tried." He started looking through the files in his hands. "I've recently been looking at Blythe Huddart, Sasha Lowood, Ronald Clemence-Solebay, Elsa Durham, Luke Watney, Cindy Watney and, erm... Morgan Lamb?" Chandler felt a lump in his throat. "I don't think I read that one. Was she important?"_

_Breathing became difficult and the lump in his throat tightened. He got up from his desk and walked over to Timmy, taking the files from his hands. "I don't know." He uttered, voice just above a whisper. Placing the files on his desk gently, he turned back to Timmy. "What did you want to discuss?"_

_"Oh, it doesn't matter. Sorry, Sir."_

_Timmy left the office, leaving Chandler alone. The blond man turned to look out at the incident room and - more specifically - at Kent. As he did, the DC glanced up, catching his eye and giving his partner a small smile before returning to his work._

"You made Emerson leave." Chandler's voice sounded broken.

"Oh no, DI Chandler. I merely made you angry. You're the one who made him leave." Timmy stated bluntly.

The blond looked away. "Why those families? Natasha, Jonathan, Charlie, the others in Wales, why them?"

"Why does anyone do anything? I did it because I could. They were there, they were convenient. That's all I needed. Same with the ones in Wales. But they were piling up pretty quickly, so I needed a change of location."

"What made you choose Whitechapel?"

"Ah, the famous Whitechapel. You hear stories, but you have to see it for yourself. But now I have a question for you." Timmy raised the gun he had been neglecting throughout their conversation, pointing it at Chandler again. "What's with all the questions? You were hesitant t speak not so long ago."

The blond haired man looked the murderer in the eye and the corner of his mouth twists up into a small smile. "Sometimes talking is good. It can be really helpful."

"Helpful, how?" Timmy asked suspiciously.

"It kills time." The DI moved his gaze to over Timmy's shoulder. The DC faultered before turning around to see a group of police officers at the end of the street looking in their direction whilst talking on radios. He then began to hear the faint shrill of police sirens.

As expected, a few moments later some police cars came rushing down the street and screeching to a halt, the team of detectives hurrying out of them. Timmy hastily turned to Chandler in panic. "Get out of the car," he growled, infuriated. They opened their doors simultaneously, though Timmy jumped out of his seat speedily, running over to the blond's side, keeping the gun trained on him. Chandler did the opposite, stepping out of the car slowly.

Timmy ran to Chandler's left side, grabbing the latter's right arm, pulling him close so his body was half covered by the DI. He held his gun in his left hand, pointing it at the older man. "Stop where you are!" he yells at the approaching officers.

They all stopped in their tracks, guns still trained on Timmy. Out of the corner of his eye, Chandler could see snipers located on the surrounding buildings, but whether Timmy had noticed was an entirely different matter.

Miles cautiously stepped forward, a hand held out in front of himself to show Timmy that he was still keeping his distance. The DCs glanced at each other in confusion, wondering what Miles was trying to do. 'Then again', thought Mansell, 'with Chandler being held hostage, someone has to walk out in front of the armed gunman.'

"Timmy, listen," Miles began. "This has gone on long enough. Why don't you just give up Chandler, and we can talk?"

The armed man sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Oh, DS Miles. If only it was that easy. But that's not how you play."

"Play? What do you mean?"

"Don't you see?" Timmy smiled. "This is all just one big game to me. You're all just pawns for me to play with. And you all fell for it. I practically waltzed in, sat down at a desk and you all just accepted me. Well, maybe not you, Miles, but no one was going to listen to a worn-out old man. Call yourselves detectives when you couldn't even figure out I wasn't meant to be there. You were stood less than a meter from the very murderer you were chasing and you were still clueless. God, I had to kidnap someone to help you figure it out and it still took you this long. You know, she told me you were clever, but you're really not. Even now, you don't seem realise." Timmy giggled manically. "I win!"

Blood spurted from Timmy's left shoulder as a bullet pierced through. He stumbled backwards, causing him to relinquish his grip on the gun. This allowed Chandler to push himself out of Timmy's grip and make a move for the nearby weapon, and he turned it towards the murderer as he fell to the ground, gripping his wounded shoulder.

A group of officers ran towards Timmy, ready to handcuff him, one of the officers radioing for an ambulance. Some other officers pulled Chandler to one side, extracting the gun from his hands and checking his body for injuries. The DI surveyed the scene around him, taking a moment to think about the situation, before his eyes caught those of his curl haired DC. A small smile grew on the latter's lips - a sign to Chandler that their argument has been overlooked under the circumstances - which was quickly reciprocated.

After ensuring the DIs well-being, the officers walked away. As soon as they left the area, Kent rushed over to Chandler, his gaze never leaving the blond haired man in front of him. A moment of silence passed, both men drinking in the sight of each other, before Kent pushed forward forcefully, embracing the taller man. The DI wrapped his arms around his DCs waist as the latter wrapped his around Chandler's neck. "I'm glad you're okay."

Chandler smiled lightly at his junior's words. "So am I. Are you okay? Did you sleep well at Erica's? Have you been taking your medic-"

"God, you've just been kidnapped and you're worrying about me!" Kent smiled happily, tears running down his cheeks. When they pulled away, Chandler wiped them away before smiling himself. He can't remember the last time he was so...

-WC-

_... happy. The only word capable of describing how I feel right now, which is strange considering it's Mansell and Erica's anniversary. The 'happy couple' are enjoying themselves, drinking and chatting with our friends and family. Seeing Erica happy is a privilage I haven't had in years, especially since... Well, it doesn't matter. But I can understand how she feels._

_I can feel Joe pressing against my side as he talks to Miles, him leaning against the kitchen counter and me perched upon it. Although I know he's not doing it intentionally, it still feels special to me. It shows a breaking of boundaries; it's his unconscious way of being more affectionate._

_A few moments pass before he turns to me, smiling slightly. I notice Miles' absence, confused as to when he left. I was too preoccupied with the feel of Chandler's warmth, but I smile back anyway._

_We start to talk about random subjects - words being uttered, sentences being strung, but none of them matter; it's just idle chat. I feel his hand slip into mine, and I realise._

_My life is finally getting better. Everything Erica and I have dreamt of is becoming a reality. Jobs, friends, family; we have it all now._

_Life is gonna be good from here on out._

-WC-

Timmy lay silently in his hospital bed. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the frequent beeping of the heart monitor. That was until he heard a gentle knock, followed by the opening of the door.

"Hello, Emerson." Timmy grinned.

The door shut a bit harder than usual.

"Uniforms will be here soon to watch you. Until then, I'll be doing it." Kent stated bluntly.

"Got stuck with babysitting duty?"

"I volunteered. Someone has to make sure nothing happens to you until you're well enough to be questioned."

"Questioned? Why would you need to question me? I've admitted to it. I told you why I did it. What more could you need?"

"We still need to figure out how you managed to infiltrate our team."

"She faked all my files." Timmy smirked as he saw Kent's dazed reaction.

The DC hesitated before asking, "She?"

"The thing is, Emerson... I know everything."

Kent's heart leapt into his throat. _How?_

Timmy grinned, seeing the panic on the young man's face and the tenseness of his shoulders. "She told me everything I needed to know about you. And let me just say, well done."

"Shut up." The DC snapped.

"I mean, that sister of yours, she's a right piece of work, but you..." Timmy laughs. "When I first heard about the shit you two did and the trouble you caused, I couldn't help but wonder: how are you a police officer? How did you get away with it all? But I know now. It was her. Before the police could get involved, she would talk you away, give you a new identity, protect you. Though, with a disease like schizophrenia, there's only so far she can help. And how do you repay her? By abandoning her! Running off and leaving her!"

"We needed a fresh start-" Kent mutters weakly, but Timmy interrupts.

"And imagine what your team will think when I tell them."

Kent's head snapped up from where he was gazing at this feet and looked at Timmy, who laughs again.

"What? Think I wouldn't tell? I bet they will be so disappointed, or disgusted. They will never be able to look you in the eye again. You will lose everything and probably rot in prison for the rest of your life, Erica too." The man turned to look out the window. "Look at that big world out there. I have a life, a name, and I always will. See, I'm part of it. But you... You don't belong. Not being the person you are." He sensed Kent shift behind him. "She's gonna win, you know? There's no doubting it. You and all your friends won't know what hit them."

Fingers brush against Timmy's arm, startling him. He turned to see Kent standing next to him with a smile on his face.

"I know she'll win. I've spent enough time with her to know you're right." Kent remarked. "But you're wrong if you think you're telling them about me." Timmy noticed the needle in Kent's hand. He went to yell out but a hand covered his mouth, preventing his shouts. Kent's other hand quickly injected the solution into the cannula Timmy wore. Timmy felt himself become drowsy as unconsciousness over took him.

Kent sat back in the chair, put the cap back on the needle and placed it into his pocket. He watched Timmy from across the room, his face emotionless until the monitors started beeping. He stood up quickly as nurses ran into the room, placing a panicked expression on his face.

One of the nurses turned to the DC. "What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "He was asleep when I walked in so I just sat and kept an eye on him. Then the machines went off..."

"Okay. I just need you to wait outside for a few moments." The nurse informed him in a calm manner.

Kent remained in his panicked state as he was ushered out of the room. However, as soon as the door shut, his face once again became an emotionless mask. He started walking down the deserted hall, but accidentally bumped someone walking in the opposite direction. He turned to apologise, but froze when he saw an old woman dressed in red.

"What are you doing here?!" Kent asked, shock and anger seeping into his tone.

She smiled. "I came to tie up some loose ends, but you appear to have done it for me." At Kent's shocked look, she continued, "Did you really think I would let him tell? I don't wish to harm you."

Kent scoffed in disbelief. "You don't wish to harm me? Yet you sent him here in the first place and told him all our secrets? Excuse me if I don't believe you."

The man turned his back on the lady and continued walking. However, he stopped when she shouted, "How long will you keep hiding behind that uniform? It's not you. You know it, I know it, Erica knows it. You'll get bored eventually. Your sister already has. How much longer will you pretend to be something you're not?"

The DC turned back to her. "If you care about me at all... You would leave me alone, Aunt Louise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timmy's laugh (before being shot) was inspired by this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcEHOrhJmQ
> 
> The extra chapter mentioned in the first authors note will be me talking through the idea I had for a part 2 of this. However, I am not going to be writing the part 2. I was going to explain what I have planned because the end of this is kind of cliffhanger-y, and there have been hints at some plot points of part 2 in this chapter.  
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed the fic, and thanks for bearing with me :)


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, I would like to start this by saying a full thank you to my sister, Kayleigh, for giving me the inspiration and motiavtion to finish the last chapter of this fic. She also contributed by writing the first drafts of 2 sections (Timmy's hostage speech to Miles, and the final section in the hospital). Without her, this probably would have been uploaded in 2019. xoxoxoxoxo

Anyway, I wanted to tell you my idea for a second part to this fanfic.

As you know from the ending of the last chapter, Louise Iver is Bambi's auntie. The route we were going with this was that Emerson and Erica are actually *name* and *name* Iver and that they were part of a criminal scheme led by Louise. Kent's motives were fueled by his Schizophrenia and fear of loneliness and Erica's by boredem and the way she was raised (brainwashed by Louise and not in complete control of her own actions). However, Kent and Erica eventually got out with the rest of the group, leaving Louise behind.

Members of the group included:

\- Sarah Smith (prostitute from the Ripper Case, Series 1 Episode 1/2)

\- Jack Cheshire (Chandler's informant against the Krays, Also worked for Anderson, Ambiguous connection to Louise, Series 2 All Episodes)

\- Tom Knight (Survivor of Sly Driscoll's attacks, Series 3 Episode 2)

\- Tattoo Shop Owners (Helped Kent identify tattoos, Series 4 Episode 3)

\- Anderson (Ambiguous connection to the group, Helped Kent join the police force, Monitors all former members for their protection, Ambiguous reason for helping - NOT A MEMBER OF THE GROUP)

\- Other members not specified

Jack Cheshire may have possibly been a messenger between Iver and Anderson, Iver giving him cases to help him move up the ranks in exchange for silence over the group's actions. (Anderson follows similar actions in the Kray case with Chandler)

Louise then began targeting former members by creating cases around them to terrorise them (This is why Kent looked like a kicked puppy while interviewing Tom Knight - he knew him from the group, so understood what he was going through after the murder of the Emery family, but he had not yet connected it to Louise - he had not seen Sarah Smith or Jack Cheshire with their new identities, and he went to the tattoo shop because he knew the owners). Timmy was reruited by Louise to target specific people in Whitechapel in order to get to Kent.

Hints in previous chapter:

\- Kent knowing about Anderson's tracker, avoids saying how he knew

\- Kent's phone activating when Anderson turned on tracker

\- "I owe you that much" line from Kent to Anderson

\- Timmy's speech in hospital

I was going to write this, but with exams coming up, and how much time is already taken up aside from them, this would probably not be finished in this century. However, I'm leaving these ideas for anyone who may wish to take them on.

(My sister also had the idea of making them immortal, taking away the group aspect and just have Louise, Kent and Erica living for centuries fucking shit up - I told her to shut up. If anyone wants to write this version, I will not judge and you will have my sis' support :))

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. I guarantee it will get better than this and the following chapters will have more content, this was more of an introduction than anything else.


End file.
